Why Preparing for Parenthood Isn't One Size Fits All | Blush & Bloom Podcast | Ep. 59

How do you prepare for parenthood when every family is different? On this week's Blush & Bloom, Gigi Kenneth sits down with Marta Wadsworth, an impact entrepreneur, doula and founder of The Family Door, a platform that supports parents from preconception through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Marta held leadership roles at Amazon and HelloFresh before motherhood changed her direction. Today she is a mum of two, pregnant with her third, and building parent prep that adapts to the person using it.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why Marta left big tech roles to become a doula and then a founder
• How the idea of Ikigai guides her career and family decisions
• Her self-published book, In the Making of My Baby, and telling positive birth stories
• Building a working prototype in 48 hours at the She Builds hackathon with Lovable
• What makes The Family Door different from a standard birth prep course
• Designing parent prep for neurodiverse families
• How culture shapes birth care across Europe
• Her advice for parents who feel overwhelmed

From Amazon to becoming a doula

Marta became a doula after leaving her corporate roles. The shift came from her own family's experience of pregnancy and early parenthood, and from her partner's experience of fatherhood. They found the transition isolating and overwhelming, even with so much information available. Becoming a doula let her support other families through the same challenges.

What is Ikigai, and how does it guide a career change?

Ikigai is a Japanese idea about finding purpose and balance in life. For Marta, it means seeking impact in the things she values most instead of chasing growth for its own sake, whether that is money, status or career progression. By traditional measures her move from corporate leadership to doula and founder can look like a step backwards. Ikigai is how she explains why she chose this path.

Writing In the Making of My Baby

Marta's first step into this work was a book. She began writing in the first months after her baby was born, using every bit of time to herself to capture the family's experience of pregnancy and a birth she describes as amazing and transformative. Most birth stories people hear are horror stories, and she wanted to show that a positive path is possible, while respecting that every family's journey is its own.

How to prepare for parenthood with The Family Door

The Family Door is a gamified parental preparation platform for couples and solo parents preparing to start a family. Instead of a fixed course with ten Saturday classes, people choose their own path through the content. What a partner sees is different from what a birthing person sees, and content adapts to stage of pregnancy, disability or community. Marta built the first working prototype at the She Builds hackathon using Lovable, without being a coder, and says AI tools are opening the door for more women founders to test their ideas with users. Content is being developed with doctors, midwives, psychologists and therapists so that it is evidence-based.

How can parent prep work for neurodiverse parents?

Marta is clear that this part of the platform is aspirational and still in progress. Interviews with neurodiverse parents showed common problems: information overload, rigid formats and vague language. Advice like "you'll know when your baby is hungry" leaves too much to interpretation. Her plan is objective, jargon-free content and an option to switch to a calmer, step-by-step layout with less sensory overload. She is asking for feedback from parents with different needs.

How does culture shape birth care in Europe?

In Northern Europe, Marta sees midwife-led care that focuses on autonomy and helping families make their own decisions. In Southern Europe, care is more often medical-led, with more family involvement and more deference to doctors. In her view, this can leave families with less confidence and fewer choices, and she raises concerns about obstetric violence. Making good information accessible to everyone is central to her work.

Advice for overwhelmed parents

Marta's first piece of advice is simple: "don't feel like you have to have it all figured out. Small steps are more than enough." Her second is to ask for help, because it is not a weakness. She adds that the village has to reach out too: friends, neighbours and non-parents can look out for the people around them and offer help before they are asked.

FAQ

Who is Marta Wadsworth? Marta Wadsworth is an impact entrepreneur, doula and founder of The Family Door, based in Lisbon. She previously held leadership roles at Amazon and HelloFresh and is the author of the self-published book In the Making of My Baby.

What is The Family Door? The Family Door is a gamified, personalised parent preparation platform that supports families from preconception through pregnancy and birth, with content that adapts to each person's role and needs.

How should you prepare for parenthood? Marta suggests starting small, choosing information that fits your situation instead of a one-size-fits-all course, and asking for help early. Preparing emotionally and mentally matters as much as the practical side.

What does a doula do? A doula supports families, couples and different family structures as they prepare emotionally and mentally for birth and parenthood.

Listen and connect

Listen to the full conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Try The Family Door and connect with Marta on LinkedIn. Explore more conversations on the Blush and Bloom podcast hub, including Ep. 58 on anxiety and productivity and Ep. 54 on psychological safety at work, and track your own health with the Asele app.

This episode is for general informational purposes and does not constitute medical, legal, or regulatory advice.